what are my chances?

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wellbutrino970

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hi all. im a US MD 4th year wanting to apply psych, not very picky about programs, just wanna match. background about me is that i had some troubles in preclinical years, i have never failed a class but i did end up passing Step 1 on my second attempt. recently took step 2 and received a 245. i have never failed any shelf exams. i have 2 psych related publications, 1 non-psych related. i am volunteering w the crisis hotline and should have 200 volunteer hours by graduation, + some minimal volunteering affiliated with my school. my school's psych advisor has very strong connections with a nearby program that i have an away scheduled with later in the year. i also have some undergrad research in psychology, i'm not sure if that is worth mentioning but during my medical school interviews some of my interviewers mentioned that this research was intriguing. im just wondering what my chances are considering my step 1 reattempt?

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Eh, good? Apply to broad selection of programs within a specific desired geographic area. Do HAVE a geographic area picked out that you can justify your reason for wanting to be there. You passed Step 2 and did well. That bodes well for Step 3 which is the only testing issue that residencies will care about. Step 1 only tangentially relates to psych.
 
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unfortunately, a step 1 failure is a red flag and will likely make it harder for you to match. while psychiatry programs tend to take a more holistic approach to applications this is going to be a deal breaker for some programs. Apply broadly, do some aways, get stellar letters of recommendation, get good grades in your clerkships (if graded), honor your sub-Is, and make a compelling case for why psychiatry. you do need to address the failure and do the best to have great personal statement. unfortunately, with an ever increasing number of applicants programs do need to find a way to cull the herd and a step 1 failure is an easy thing to separate applicants.
 
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unfortunately, a step 1 failure is a red flag and will likely make it harder for you to match. while psychiatry programs tend to take a more holistic approach to applications this is going to be a deal breaker for some programs. Apply broadly, do some aways, get stellar letters of recommendation, get good grades in your clerkships (if graded), honor your sub-Is, and make a compelling case for why psychiatry. you do need to address the failure and do the best to have great personal statement. unfortunately, with an ever increasing number of applicants programs do need to find a way to cull the herd and a step 1 failure is an easy thing to separate applicants.
is there a way to check which programs tend to accept step 1 failure? also, i know more prestigious programs are out of reach but from a matching standpoint in general, do you think i have a shot? im also just wondering if it makes sense to dual apply FM or just try to apply to many programs (100+) and take my chances.
 
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